Large userbase in Asia Scheduler, organizer, and chatting features for your communication requirements Easy to use Cross-platform availability
Cons
No video calls Suitable for Asian countries No proper English translation for most games
KakaoTalk
Price: $
KakaoTalk is a free messaging and calling application that is incredibly popular in Southeast Asia and beyond. A lot of people might already have an idea that a lot of texting and calling apps do not work well in Southeast Asia. KakaoTalk is an exception to that rule, with a lot of pros and a few cons.
Everything except video calls
If there is any common feature that you would expect from a calling and texting application, KakaoTalk probably has it, except for video calls. That is the one thorn in the roses, but it has everything else. From common features such as neat texting and calling to extra features such as scheduling texts and even games, KakaoTalk is an exciting app.
Available across platforms
One of the best features that it incorporates is cross-platform availability. A lot of other apps struggle with this and you can only access them on your smartphone, but KakaoTalk is available for your PC as well.
It is an official desktop application with all the features that your smartphone app does. You can log in using the same account for your phone, and sync everything across devices including conversations and photos. For registration, KakaoTalk follows a rather unconventional way by asking the user to send a verification code to an international support number, which is then verified on runtime within the application and it logs in.
Great call quality
One of the most important features of such an application is the calling quality. With noise, low quality, and voice stuttering, it makes for a bad experience for any user. KakaoTalk provides you with a great application for that. It has exceptional audio quality with low noise, no voice lagging, and generally great quality.
Games within the application
KakaoTalk also provides users with games to kill boredom. There is a dedicated gaming section within the application that helps you keep in touch with your friends and enjoy lots. One disadvantage that the game section has is that most games either don't have full English translations or are not up to the mark.
Most suitable for Southeast Asia
If you are a consumer within Japan, Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, or other Asian countries, KakaoTalk will be a great service to you for your texting and calling. It has a large user base of over 150 million users, but it is mostly suitable for Asian countries. Like similar apps, it is completely free and does not charge for anything.
Conclusion
With no video calls, low support for non-Asian countries, and lack of proper English translation within the games, it makes for a non-convincing case if you are outside Asia. If you are in Asia, then it will be a great app for all your communication requirements.
Reviewed by Hamza Sadiq (editor rating 4 out of 5 stars)